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what would be your next bike after V strom

117K views 490 replies 197 participants last post by  chirosyd 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello stromtroopers , I am back from half day riding from Malibu and Mulhollnad drive , what a beautiful day ,what a ride .I have done the same ride and road on sport bike before , but I enjoyed todays ride may be more,sitting position on my 2008 DL1000 is much more comfortable and bike over all control is easier compared to my 2014 VFR 800.ever sice i bought the vstrom on december ,I am not riding the VFR any more , just 20 minutes weekends to maintain the the battery.
I am thinking to sell them both and upgrade to something better for all purpose , what would be your recommendations? alot of good bikes that you have in Europe we donot have them in US, or california
I am thinking about followings :
super tenniere (but I donot like the look that much)
V strom 2018 XT 1000
Africa twin( i like every thing on it only after fully adventure upgrading.
Multi strada 2018, except I never had italian (in very old day my Dad was riding a vespa like 50 years ago.)
BMW GS 1200 Adventure fully upgraded for Adventure( too expensive and I might be scared to ride a brand new 30000 us $ bike ,if I do that would be my very last bike.)
I like Versys 1000 but looks a little toy like to me.
what I really really like is a Triumph Tiger XC 1200 ,fully factory equipped,I was very close to buy one in 2014, but did not happen d/t financial considerations.
I still want to buy the best for the buck , easy maintenance and coast of maintenance is important too.
Having said all of that what would be your choice ,my type of riding is every weekend 300-400 miles of combination of freeway, hiway ,and Canyons with a group off big adventure bikes mostly BMW 1200 s.
I enjoy my ride with 2008 DL 1000, but is non ABS and no traction control,otherwise
great bike. Vstrom 2018 would be the less expensive for new bikes , but how good they are? are they as good as old V stroms?
Thank you:smile2:
Ride safe
 
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#2 · (Edited)
alot of good bikes that you have in Europe we donot have them in US
exactly - crazy popular in Europe ....limited availability in Canada ...zilch in the US...

It IS a CBF1000. Same weight, shorter seat height, better brakes docile until you twist the tail then ....>:)

Nowhere near the luggage storage or weather protection but a 3,000 km 4 day loop to Ohio convinced me.
KLR650 in Australia meets my get muddy needs.

I likely won't get another Strom unless it's a mini in Australia.

Canyon carver the The CB650F if you like ( as I do ) lively inline 4s.



Good timing ...finally coming to the US

https://www.asphaltandrubber.com/bikes/2014-honda-cb650f/
 
#3 ·
CRF250L or DRZ400S, need something smaller. I am keeping the dl650 for a looooong time though.
 
#5 · (Edited)
A used well farkled V2 2014 and up. Cheap but much better than your VEE.

Luggage, a Givi Airflow, Peg Lowering Kit, Sit&Fly seat cover is probably all you need to be grinning all the time riding with your buddies for 1/3 of their cost.

Or if cost don't matter by a GS.

.... BMW GS 1200 Adventure fully upgraded for Adventure( too expensive and I might be scared to ride a brand new 30000 us $ bike ,if I do that would be my very last bike.) ... No it won't. There will always be that "better" bike you desire. If you get a used V2 at least there is no huge loss when you get tired of it ;-)
 
#11 ·
Not sure why you'd want or need an all-out ADV bike for the riding you are describing, but the DL and Versys are street bikes anyway, so either of those would do. Both a bit heavy.

Forget the Tiger and Tenere. Both big too and not the best for canyons. Have you also considered a Tiger 800 street model? Or a 2018 DL650? Possibly the DL1000 is the ticket.
 
#14 ·
Not sure why you'd want or need an all-out ADV bike for the riding you are describing, but the DL and Versys are street bikes anyway, so either of those would do. Both a bit heavy.

Forget the Tiger and Tenere. Both big too and not the best for canyons. Have you also considered a Tiger 800 street model? Or a 2018 DL650? Possibly the DL1000 is the ticket.
Consider me confused by that statement? :confused:
 
#12 · (Edited)
The only bike I'd consider now is a newer Super Tenere ES. Heated grips + electronic cruise control + shaft drive = heaven on wheels! . If they made one with 800cc that would be fine.

I've considered a bmw but after talking to owners the high maintenance isn't my cup of tea.

Sent from my SM-T700 using Tapatalk
 
#37 ·
I kept my 2005 DL650 and added 2010 Multistrada 1200 Touring.
The Multi has better handling, better aerodynamics, better instrument cluster, better suspension with more travel, obviously faster, nicer to look at, actually better in every way except headlight, but easily fixed with aux lights. Unlike when new, the used Multistrada is great bang for the buck. Fits everything OP wanted except for easy maintenance.
 
#23 ·
Really? That bike can't do freeway speeds safely? I get the idea that maybe it couldn't accelerate as quickly as some bigger bikes and find the same opening in traffic perhaps, but it has more than enough juice to catch up quickly to the others unless you and your buddies are pushing triple digit speeds.

In 07 when I got back into riding on a brand new Ninja 650, my co worker on his FZ1, a gal on a Ducati 999 and myself took off for Denver on the interstate. They loved speed (I found out quickly) and immediately wicked it up to 90 mph. Not that I wanted to ride that fast, but I realized if I didn't, they would lose me. The little Ninja that could did just fine cruising 50 miles or so at 90. I am not suggesting that you get a smaller displacement bike, because it sounds like you are not looking for that. I was wondering why you want a kitted ADV bike that could be on the porker side for pavement day rides. I second the Ninja 1000 as a possibility or the DL1000.
 
#20 ·
I keep thinking I would enjoy something with more power and similar comfort to my '06 DL 1000. Then I consider that more power only helps in a drag race. (which I enjoy, but only lasts a few seconds) It has lots of power the way it is and fits me to a tee, so what's the point of changing bikes? I look all the time but can't find one that suits me any better for backroad riding. I'm afraid I'll be buried in my Strom but I have to tell you that I love the old thing.
 
#24 ·
I know exactly what you mean. When I replace the old gal, it will likely be a new Vee. In the meantime, however, the required TLC keeps a smile on my face. I've bonded with this bike for almost 200000 kms and know it inside out. It does almost everything I want in a daily driver/tourer, and my DRZ does the rest.
 
#29 ·
my vstrom was given to me via a radio contest. so im keeping it FOREVA! lol but if i were to get another similar style bike. i really like the triumph tiger 1200
 
#31 ·
To me there are 3 choices in the crowded ADV field and I love them all in different ways.

Vstrom - if you ride mostly street and some dirt/gravel roads (owned 1 for 100,000 miles)
Tenere - if you want just a little more dirt with your street (owned 2 for 65,000 miles combined)
Africa Twin - if you truly will, not just think you will, ride a lot off-road (my buddy has one and it truly will rock off-road)

All the rest of them are just expensive European problems waiting to happen.

To put my recommendations into perspective, you should know I have owned Toyota and Honda automobiles my entire life.
 
#136 ·
To me

All the rest of them are just expensive European problems waiting to happen.
I really enjoyed that! Well put (I think).

I'm a fairly new rider. Got my endorsement in '12 and have ridden a total of 2.5 season combined. I started off with a 2009 GS500F which I loved. Did just under 3000 miles on it before "upgrading" to a Ducati Monster. Sold the Monster the following season and bought a Tux250 for city riding. That bike is made for midgets. Sold it 3 months later and picked up another Monster then following summer. Still don't know why I did that, which is probably why I barely rode it and lost a ton of $$ on upgrades. New owner was very happy with my choices. Anyways, took a sabbatical for about 2-3 years thereafter and last fall I picked up a '16 V2. The Strom was my least impulse purchase and probably the most sensible. The bike is basically what my GS500F was, only with more oomf. Its comfortable, suited for riders my height (I'm just a hair over 6'), no frills, good handling and... did I mention comfortable? I've only put 300 miles on the bike last year but that's mostly because I live in New York City and riding a motorcycle here is just punishment. Almost sold the bike last year but managed to hold on to it, and I'm glad I did. Will be picking up a trailer so I get can take bike somewhere I can actually ride and enjoy it! While not quite a golden retreiver, the V2 is a fairly docile beast. It has power when you call upon it but allows you to just cruise along (quietly!) and enjoy the scenery.

What would I get if I ever sold the Strom? Lets see... I'm 95% pavement (5% for access roads, drives and campground trails). Not a fan of street fighters, cruisers or sports bikes. The BMW's are way out of my reach and frankly I don't even find them all that appealing. Looked at the Tenere but it's like riding Godzilla. I'm going to pass. Only thing I can think of is a Multistrada, but that would require winning the lotto or striking it rich on some level. I suppose I might consider a KLR650 but after the Strom I think I'll find it lacking. All in all the Vstrom is really an excellent all-around bike. I'm still getting used to it and building confidence (still not used to the completely upright riding position). A lot of the posts on here where folks are really 'at one' with their Stroms come with 000's of ridden miles. Will add more thoughts when I have more pavement behind me.
 
#34 ·
I've had 6 bikes total. DL650 was the 2nd and the one I've kept. The 4 after have been in order WR250R, VFR800, Ural cT and VersysX300.

The DL650 and the VX300 will be staying around a good bit. They compliment each other well. I do want another sidecar one day but not a Ural.
 
#35 ·
I rode a Wee around New Zealand in 2010. At that time I already had a BMW R1100GS, otherwise I might have bought a Wee then. Since then, I have bought two DR350's and a KTM 1290SA (which is everything any Vstrom is and so much more). Now I have bought an 07 Wee. I got it as a 'guest/loaner' bike but I definitely see myself riding it.

The DR350's were bought for a different type of riding so not replacing anything. IF I had a Wee a year ago, my next bike would have been a KTM 1290SA. As I now have both, there probably won't be a next bike very soon - but if there were it would be either another KTM or a Tiger 1050.
 
#36 ·
I own a '14 Vee and I can't imagine spending more money for any of those other bikes you mentioned. I've ridden a GS 1200 and it was quite simply not much fun. My Vee is just plain fun to ride, simple and inexpensive to maintain and fits the riding you described perfectly. So why buy a more expensive bike that is no better than a 1K Post 2014 Vee.
 
#38 · (Edited)
I got my eye on a 2015 leftover Yamaha FJ-09, but I think Yamaha is bringing out a new replacement bike in 2018 called the MT-09 with some improvements. I'll be moving up from my 2012 GLEE, which is nearly perfect for me, except for the lack of excitment when I twist the throttle. In just about every other aspect it's better than the VEE. But the FJ-09 is just as light as the GLEE, but with 40 more HP's, and I do like the styling better than the GLEE. I think Suzuki should have 3 V-stroms for sale: a 500, a 950, and a 1250, with 50, 110, and 140 HP available respectively. They should have more street oriented tires on the sportier, tarmac V-Stroms and knobbier tires on true dual purpose bikes.
 
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